What politics is: deciding things together
Tests: 5 of 11 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: plain · Understood: 6 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 1 of the politics course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.
Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.
Test 1 · right ✓
Your cousin goes, "politics is just old blokes in suits yelling on telly, nothing to do with us lot." What's the best reply?
- 1. It's any group deciding things together, from class votes to bus fares — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 2. Politics is just a TV programme, like the news — no support
- 3. He's right, but only after you turn eighteen — no support
- 4. He's right, politics only happens inside Parliament — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 1: «Politics is how a group of people decides things that everybody then has to live with, when people want different things and there is only one ball, one pot of…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «decide» (+2); the same doer «group» (+2); the same thing acted on «things» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 2 · wrong ✗
Mum's mate goes, "the council's well tight, they shut the pool to keep the library." What does "tight" mean here, and what is going on?
- 1. Very strict, so they ban swimming for fun — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Very rich, so they decided to go and buy a second library as well — no support
- 3. Very busy, so they forgot to open the pool — no support
- 4. Short of money, so choosing one thing meant giving up another — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · wrong ✗
Your little brother says, "If we vote and the most people win, the small group can never complain." Which is the fairest answer?
- 1. Wrong, the smallest group always wins a vote — ← Mova's choice · score 14
- 2. Correct, and the small group should leave the class — no support
- 3. They can still give reasons, and some say small groups deserve a turn sometimes — ✓ the right answer · score 10
- 4. Correct, losers in a vote must never speak again — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 14, against 10 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1, line 18: «Some people say the bigger group should always win a vote; others say a smaller group should sometimes get its turn, or it will always lose.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «win» (+4); the same doer «bigger group» (+4); the same thing acted on «vote» (+4); the same property (+2). The right option, 3, scored 10. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · right ✓
In a group chat a kid writes, "no cap, protesting = going to jail lol." ("No cap" means "no lie, honestly".) Is he right?
- 1. No, peaceful protest is allowed in many countries — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. No, because protests are only allowed for children — no support
- 3. Yes, anyone who holds a sign is arrested — no support
- 4. Yes, but only if it is raining — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · wrong ✗
Uncle Dave, a proper Scouser (from Liverpool), says, "Taxes? Boss idea, la, that's what fixed me knee in the ozzy." ("Boss" means great; "ozzy" means hospital.) What is he saying?
- 1. Taxes should be paid only by the boss at work — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Hospitals are paid for by bosses, not by taxes — no support
- 3. Taxes are good because they pay for things like hospitals — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. His knee was fixed for free, so taxes must be pointless for him — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · wrong ✗
What would happen if a class had one football and nobody had any way of deciding who gets it?
- 1. Everyone would agree straight away, without even needing to talk — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Arguments would go on, and the strongest might just grab it — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. The teacher would have to buy a brand new ball for every child — no support
- 4. The football would somehow split itself into two separate balls — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · right ✓
Your nan's mate goes, "back in my day we didn't need politics, folk just got on with it." What is the best answer?
- 1. She is right, politics was invented after she grew up — no support
- 2. Folk still had to decide things together, so politics was there all along — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 12
- 3. Politics only began when the internet was invented — no support
- 4. She is right, but only for people in big cities — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 12, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 1: «Politics is how a group of people decides things that everybody then has to live with, when people want different things and there is only one ball, one pot of…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same thing acted on «things» (+4); the same action «decide» (+2); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · right ✓
Gran says Kai is "delulu" (deluded) for changing his vote after Grace spoke. Who is right?
- 1. Neither, because a class vote cannot have reasons — no support
- 2. Gran, because a vote should never change after the first idea — no support
- 3. Kai, because changing your mind for a good reason is sensible — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
- 4. Gran, because listening before a vote is against the rules — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 15: «A debate is a discussion where people give reasons for different sides; hearing good reasons and changing your mind is a strength, not a weakness.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «change» (+4); the same thing acted on «mind» (+4). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · wrong ✗
A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flipping a coin. What's wrong with this picture of politics?
- 1. Coins can only be flipped by the king — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Mayors are not allowed to own coins — no support
- 3. Nothing, real mayors always flip a coin — no support
- 4. Real decisions involve people giving reasons, arguing and often voting — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 10 · right ✓
Your dad, mad at the parking ticket, says, "Rules just fall out of the sky." What is true?
- 1. He is right, rules just appear on their own, like rain does — no support
- 2. Only the police can ever change a rule — no support
- 3. A rule can never be changed once it is made — no support
- 4. People made the rule, and people can work to change it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 4: «People give reasons, listen, argue, vote, and sometimes protest peacefully; in a democracy the voters choose the people who make the rules, so rules are made b…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «make» (+2); the same thing acted on «rules» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · wrong ✗
Your mum says politics is about money, safety and fairness. Two neighbours argue about one thing for an hour and still say goodbye nicely. What does this show?
- 1. People who disagree must stop speaking forever — ← Mova's choice · score 11
- 2. Being kind means you must agree with everyone — no support
- 3. You can disagree strongly and still be kind — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. The neighbours were not really disagreeing — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 11, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 17: «A politician's record is what they have actually done; some politicians break promises and some keep them, so it is better to check each one than to say they a…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same thing acted on «people» (+4); a different action (counts against) (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the activity designated "politics"?
- 1. The broadcasting of disputes between public figures for the purposes of entertainment — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The exclusive conduct of affairs within a national legislature — no support
- 3. The study of monarchs of former centuries — no support
- 4. The process whereby a group arrives at decisions binding upon all its members — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓
Given that a municipal authority possesses a finite budget, identify the necessary consequence of an increase in expenditure upon one service.
- 1. A corresponding reduction in the sums available for other services — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. No consequence whatsoever for any other service — no support
- 3. The abolition of all taxation within the municipality — no support
- 4. An automatic and corresponding increase in the total budget of the authority — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗
Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the origin of laws in a democracy.
- 1. Laws are determined exclusively by officers of the police — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Laws are made by representatives chosen by voters and may be amended or repealed — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Laws are composed by commercial enterprises for their own profit — no support
- 4. Laws arise spontaneously and are incapable of alteration — no support
Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓
Identify the course of action most consistent with sound reasoning in respect of the assertion that all politicians are untruthful.
- 1. Examination of the record of each individual politician — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Unqualified acceptance of the assertion as stated — no support
- 3. Abstention from any consideration of public affairs — no support
- 4. Unqualified rejection of any possibility of untruthfulness — no support
Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/politics/1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together/